1. Field of the Invention
This specification relates to an apparatus for controlling power supply, and more particularly, an apparatus for controlling power supply, capable of controlling power storage or power supply according to electric charges varied in real time.
2. Background of the Invention
FIG. 1 is a configuration view of a late-night electronic power meter according to the related art.
FIG. 2 is a view illustrating a process of controlling the related art late-night electronic power meter.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, a late-night electronic power meter according to the related art supplies power to many products, such as a heater or boiler, causing a great power consumption, using a late-night time slot, for which a relatively cheap rate is required, taking into account a progressive utility rate. (In this document, power may mean electric power or electricity.) The late-night electronic power meter controls supplied power according to sequential steps as illustrated in FIG. 2. Instead of supplying power directly to a load of a household, the power meter transmits a contact signal to a time switch according to a preset late-night time slot, so as to supply power to the household during the late-night time slot and block (cut off) power supply during the other time slots. The electronic power meter also has a metering function on the time slot basis and a function of inputting, changing and applying a time slot and various settings through data communication with an external communication device.
The late-night power meter according to the related art cannot be applied to real-time pricing because it can turn on a switch only for a preset time slot. Also, one meter enables measurement (metering) only for a load of a single household, which results in a slight limitation of an application range of a system. Specifically, at a place, such as multi-housing, at which a power supply facility is shared, it is disadvantageously impossible to recognize which household consumes what quantity of power supplied. Hence, for reasonable electric charges with respect to each household, the electric power meter has to be installed individually at multiple households. In addition, since power supply and power cutoff are carried out only according to preset time slots, other flexible conditions cannot be handled. Also, an adjustment of the time slot, if desired, is not fast carried out. The late-night electric power meter according to the related art thus has many limitations in use.